Ballast-cleaning apparatus



w. ELMER ,793,389 BALLAST CLEANING APPARATUS Filed July 7, 1928- 'r sheets-sheet 1 Feb. 17, 1931. w. ELMER v 1,793,389

BALLAST CLEANING APPARATUS Filed July '7. 1928 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y 4 K V 7 sheet-sneet 3 W. ELMER BALLAST CLEANING APPARATUS Filed July 7, 192,8k

Feb. 17, 1931.

w. ELMER 1,793,389 BALLAST CIJEhNING APPARATUS Filed July 7, 1928 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Feb. 17, 1931.

"Feh. 17, 93. w. ELMER 1,793,389

- BALLAST CLEANING APPARATUS Fileduuly 7, 1928 v sheets-sheet 5 Inv@ razon Feb. 17, 1931.

w. ELMER 1,793,389 BALLAST CLEANING APPARATUS Filed July '7, 1928 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 D o N N Q JN W1 LA@ no N D i N fzvenm yQZZz'am/fzf;

Feb. 17, 1931. w. ELMER 1,793,389

BALLAST CLEANING APPARATUS Filed July 7, 1928 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Fig. 47` shows detailed "Patented Febg'l?, 1931 Y i Y .f i fsrrsafrss i WILLIAM-.ama orYfermarmi.mamma This invention is directed Vto Cleaning-"the:v ballastofrailroadtracks.` l v As is well known, suchlballast gets coveredV and clogged-up with cinders,\dirt, ete., re-'V tY sulting in ineiiicient drainage..

By my lnvention'theballastlis pickednp, s

screened, replaced; andtheidirtremoyed from" -fthetracli An object of.

Vide new and ballast. Y f s f Another-object isto providea rotary drum or cutterfor picking-np-the yballastY if Y Another-object-lisjto provide a combination ofineans for picking upf/ballast,'screening it, krestoring thecleaned ballast, :and removing the dirt. l' Y, i' I 1 A1-further object istoV provide a; movable carrier for Y disposing` the dirt-removedfrom 2'0 the ballast into a conveyance in front-ofthe -ballastcleanen Other"-objects "Will-present themselves asY the description Tof? the "invention proceeds; f

Referring; 'morefr'specificallyl to lfthe prei,. ferred form of myinyention shown in the ac-A companying drawingsal my invention thenyisfto pro# usefulmeans for screen-ing 4 Fig.V l'is a sldezelevation of myassembledi ballast" cleaner',y ,placed. one-suitabletrucks,l

v.mounted cutters,l the ballast/'beingscreened in'thisc'a'se, through .openingsin thefconi'catsof while ,v '30 Figgf is'atopplanlviewthereof Fig. `l3 is a ydetailed side:elevation,r Ionf'akl larger scaleofasomuch-ofFig; l, asiisshown` from line 3 3 'to therightg,l f

' Fig. 4' is a similar yiewbetween thglnes.

SS :ps laaa 4 4; While a V i Fig. 5l discloses thatfpart-OFigilfrorneline -'tOthelet; A i' Fig. 6 is a'yertical transverse section taken y sideeleyationoffone' of the' rro'nt cutters,.jpartsfbeing broken away; f

' eleyatinisy oiffthe cuttergraising n n-e ehanism inY raised, :partly lowered andlowered posij tions.; y Y 1511 As shown Vin Figlg :theffin-yention broadly. comprises! a platform;2;v 2 'carried@on.jtruclsfA means of which `it"v is discharged VVint two sills of any suitable section, one ofwhich' is shown at4.' 11k The car as a =whole`willbeseento bebraced byv suitable-framework, substantially .similari indesign to bridge trusses. Y f v55r- On-each side ofthe car. near the frontend thereof, moyably f mounted frame .supports a cutter'.1 0nelof' :suchgframesflis-slown ati 5 Vsupportingthe' .cutter-6.1 i f jWhen' loweredinto". operative .jposition:69r

these.; cutters 6 -willjdig up the ballast from the-.roadfbedand discharge it into carriers'fgl v from whence it'isdischargedinto the hoppersg 8 'of shaker-.and screening niechanisms9.5V I

charged into Aa bunkerllf V- f Y The dirtvfroin the. screen mechanism iscar'i' riedby belts 12 tofarchute l13,fro1n whenceV 7.0". itiis fed to a `forwardly travelingibelt 14,- by.

a car;Y

arranged-*ahead of theballast-car-1 #work O'fa'rranged ata 1 slight angle to .,thef` 75. horizontal* andi'whichl is f designedrjfto' be?! moyed forwardly'by any suitablemechanism.L'A

At '.15 lis shown one of two rearwardlyv fraineoil the'cutterz'` and discharged:directlyl Y' from;therearfendzinto the trough formedbetween adjacent'tracks.r 'Thecutters`15fare Y A' Reie'rring morel Figs. i and Q it will beseenrthatthecuttersj `eorn-y 95 prise a conicalshell 2Q,fofinetal,haying 4fixed and member` 2 1l being rotatable asv a ',unit.; '4 rCentrally -located with l respect f V, to' screw the drum 6 is journalled at 23, 23 in arms 24, of framework 5.

From a motor 26 suspended in the :frame 5, power is transmitted by suitable means to a spiral gear 2? operating an annular spiral gear 28 secured to the exterior ofthe upper n and smaller endofthe cutter 6.

From the cutters 6 the ballastand 4dirtare discharged into containers 29, vfrom which the material is scooped up "and carried up- Y through any ysuitable means from a 'power` source, such as motor 36. c l From ,the bucketsV 30 lthe material is dumped into hopper 8, from whence it is fed` onto the screening mechanism 9, comprising a screen 38 providedfwith upper and'lower spouts 39, 40,' preferably: trough shaped.

1 The screen 38 is loosely mounted at 41 so that it may be rocked by any desirable means,-

such as a rod 42 extending'downwardly from the screen and contacting with a;rotary cam 43, operated through suitable connections by a 'convenient power source such Aas a motor/44.

The screenby its vibrating motion, shakes the dirt from the ballast', discharging the hallast onto a conveyor, which here takes the fform of abelt 10, by which'lit is carried upfwardly and backwardlyfto the top of hoppery 11, into which it is discharged.

The dirtis carriedfromr nozzle 40 to belt 12 up to hopper 13, where it is loaded through spout` 45 onto a .forwardly traveling fbelt 14, j from where it iscarried toa dump-car (not shown) locatedVv forwardly etat-he ballastf cleaning car.

As will be seenv from Fig.y 4, the belts., 10 vand 12 maybe actuated by a common drive pulley`46,.supplied by any"suitable` power source; The pulley/16 is preferablyjour:

nalled in the floor'ot the car.`

'Atwfits other end, lbelt 12 maybe properly adjusted by a ten ioning device 47 which ad- .c justably supports pulley 48. f

"Belt 10 travels over pulley 49 alsoprovided with4 adjusting means,and discharges into bunker 1l.

Suitable power means may be employed to operate beltV 14.

' The framework V56 on which theb'elt 1,4 isV supported, mayl be movably mountedv .by-V

means, of lrollers 51 to'slide 'f'upw'ardly and outwardly onf track 52, whichterminates just beyond thefreplaceinentcutter, as Vsho-wn 'in Fig. Theframe Ojmay-b'eY operated/byl any suitablewindlas's construction.- j

In Fig. 5" is shownone of the reaiwfardlyv located cuttersr.` This cutter isnquite similar to cutter 6, except that its conical frame has a plurality of slots 20a. The ballast coming up the screw threaded interior will be relieved of its dirt which sifts through the slots 20a back intothe roadbed.

Thel cutter further differentiates from charged from the lrear end directly onto the track.

In Figs. 8-10v are shown the details or van unique arrangement -ii'orraising and inwardly swinging or vfor lowering aud outwardly kcutter 6 in that itsballastthus cleaned is disswinging the cutter. Referring particularly to these iigures andto Fig. 7, an irregular S-shaped track 53 is pivoted to the frame at `54, and accommodates a follower 55 mounted on the frontarm 25 of the frame ot the Y cutter 6. c

This track 53vguides theY cutter frame into Y its proper lowered or raised position. To A raise theY frame of the cutter a pulley 56 is shown in Fig. 3, overwhi'ch a cable isLpassed,

connected at one end to the upper portion ofY post;25,.and 'to its otherV end" to a suitable windlass, operated; bymotor57." .Y VThe pivoted track may be pushedinwardly oroutwardly by `any suitable means which" here comprises a rotatableshaft 58 threaded at one end 59 andhavinga-hand wheel 6 0 nearthe opposite end. I

; A bearing is provided inthe trame of the ballast car for that end of the shaft near .the

hand wheel, while a lug 61`on the end fof track 53through which the Vshaft is threaded,

provides theY other bearing.

may be accurately adjusted.;

The operation is as follows; y s' Thecar inthe present instance vis approxisojthat its position" betweenadjacent tracks mately 80 feet long, and is pushedfalong byr a locomotive or underitsown power, as the case mayfbeuThe cutters arel lowered into theroad-,bedaoutside the tracks, andmotors 26 operated to cause the cutters to operate.

Asthe car moves forwardly the front cutters =will dig up .the ballast, discharging it from their rear ends Tinto containers 29,; where it lis Ahauledupwardly bybu'ckets 30 and discharged onto screens9,lwherevit i$. oscillated to shake down thedi'rt.y The clean ballast is then passed orifices inthe -bottom of the tank.

At the. same time the dirt from .the screen1 point-where itis Vdischargedinto a'hop'per 13,-froni whence-it is fed forwardly and upwardly on belt 14,to a-car carried in front of-th'e ballast'cleaning car.' The movable `frame 801on` which the belt 14 'islcarried is' y,arranged to "dump the dirt? into: the front AS will be geen, if the muets'ishovedx outwardly, the france5, pivoting about fol# vlower asa center, :will Yswing the. cutter 6,

upwardly and backwardly tocontainer 11, fromrwhence the ballast is fed back tothe road-bedthrough part of the dump car, and is then moved rearwardlyY so that the rear partofthe car will be loaded.

After the front cutters pass over the'passage-way the rear cutters will cut slightly jdeeper or to one side, and the ballast so f picked up will be sifted by means of openings 20a of thedrums, the dirt forming a porous bedding. On this bedding the clean rock from the rear of the cuttersl will be deposited. By this time, the-ballast from the front cutters 'will have been properlyscreened, passed rearwardly into the reservoir ll and will begin to deposit on the bed- VVding on top of the rock from cutters V15.

. ters may be raised by mechanism previously described, through operation-of motor l57.. At this time there will be venough ballast in the buckets 30, screen 9, Yon beltslO, and in hopper l1 to insure the remainder of the trough up to the intersection being properly ballasted. l -Y By these means the ballastcan beremovedV to a distance as great as 30 inches below thelevel of the ties.

By using a continuously'operating rotary cutter, the hills and valleys in the'road-bed resulting from the operation of the clam. shell bucket mechanism ofthe prior art isV avoided, and a smooth, evenly packed passage providing excellent drainage, results from the use of my invention.

I claim: l i l. In a ballast cleaning machine, aV movable frame for a ballast-cutter, a ballastcutterrmounted in said frame, an irregular sinusoidal track for said frame, a follower for said track journalled on said frame, and

means for moving said frameto swing it inY a path defined bvthe said track, to properly position said cutter.

2.V In a ballast-cleaning machine, a frame for said machine,.a movable frame for a ballast-cutter, a ballast-'cutter mounted in said movable frame, an irregular sinusoidaltrack pivotally mounted at its upper end yon said vvfirst-mentioned frame, means 'adj acent the lower end of the track for moving it about its .pivot point, a follower on said movable-frame andengaglng said track, and means for vmovsaid cutter.

ing said movableV frame'to swing it in a path defined by? said track to properly position 3.. In a ballast cleaning a-ballast cutter supported at the lower end thereof,` means for substantially vertically moving the frame, and means forguiding the frame including 'alink pivotedv` at one'y endtosaid frame upon a horizontal pivot olisposedintermediate the endsof-the frame and ati its opposite end'to a liked support, and a ltrackengagingthe upper end of the frame :whereby as the frame moves downwardly-.and has its lowern'end forced out-f wardly by the link/"it is shifted about its j 'Z5 an initial substantially horizontal :movement pivotal yconn'ectionwith the link t0 P-"Olde and subsequent substantially vertical'move- Y ment; l A 4 5; In a ballast vclear-ring machine, a Vframe,- a-ballast cutter supported at the lower :end

thereof, means for substantially"vertically moving'the` frame, and means for guiding the frame including a link pivotedfatone-endto said frameV upona horizontal-pivot[disposed intermediate'theends kof-.the frame and at its opposite end y,to a fined support, and aca-mtrackengaging the upperfend of the .frame whereby as the Aframe moves downwardly and Y vhas vits lower end forced outwardly fby'fthe' link itisshifted about its pivotal connection 'with the linkto provide anV initial -substan-y tially horizontall movement i and asubsequent substantially vertical movement wherebythefV cutter isbr'ought into operativeengagementwith fthe ballast, the'cam track bei'ngf'pivoted the vframe'may be caused to swing about its` l pivotal connection with the link to adjust the bal-last cutter transversely.f

5. I nv aballast cleaning machine, a for the machine, an irregularly-shaped track pivote'dV at itsjupperfend to swing in a substantially vertical plane, 'and ak connection y between the track and the frame ing the track about its pivot. Y 6. VIn a ballast cleaning machine, a frame for the machina-an irregularly-shaped track pivotedv at its upper end toswing inja substantiallyk vertical plane, a connection befor swing- Vtween the track and the frame for swinging the track about its pivot, a ballast cutter frame mounted for substantially vertical movement .and operatively-` pivotally lcennecte'd with. the machine .frame intermediatey jat`its`npper zendfto said `X'ed support andl beingv adjustableVT at its'v lower'jend whereby frame Y Y ,115 i t `its ends and affolloweron the upperend of` v I said -ballastrcutter frame and-foperatinggoil said track. v A

i7. In a ballast cleaning machine, a frame' Y f movable over arailway-right-of-way', longitudinally-spaced ballast cutting means adapt Y ed ltoroperate iii-.the same path at different I depths carried by ysaid frame, a separat-, Q

ing means, vmeans for delivering the ballast from` the foremost cutting'jmeans"together i c withthe-dirt Vcontained therein to' said sepmachine, aframe,

arating means,fthe' other of said ballast cutting means constitutinga separator whereby thel dirt contained-in the ballast cut thereby iso is kimmediately returned to thetrough formed by the removal of the ballast.

8. In a ballast cleaning machine, a frame includinga ballast receptacle, ballast cutters carried by thek frame `and adapted to operate in thesame path at different levels, a separator, means for delivering ballast and dirt excavated by the foremost ballast outter to said separator,'means for delivering the cleaned ballast received from the separating'means to said receptacle and means in the other of the ballast'cutters for separating the dirt from the ballast, the ballast from the posited by said se second cutting device being delivered therefrom-to the trough formed by the ballast Cutting devices. y

9. In a ballast cleaning machine, a frame i adapted to move over the right-of-Way, a ballast vcutter carried thereby, means for separating the dirt from the ballast and for delivering said dirt to a suitable receptacle, a second ballast cutter arranged rearwardly of the first-named ballast cutter and adapted to operate in the trough formed thereby, said I secondV ballast cutter separating dirt yfrom ballast out thereby and successively delivering the dirt and cleaned ballast intoV the trough, and means for delivering-the cleaned ballast from the iirst-named ballast cutter into said trough upon the cleaned ballast decond-named ballast cutter. e y WILLIAM ELMER.V y 

